Friday, May 06, 2005

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcakes (Adapted from LCBO)

For the lemon curd

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon fresh grated lemon zest

For the cupcake batter

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk

For the meringue

3 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

To make the lemon curd

In a heat-proof bowl, whisk lemon juice, eggs, egg yolk and sugar until smooth. Add butter and place bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisking gently, cook mixture until it thickens and leaves a ribbon when whisk is lifted - this can take anywhere from 8 to 20 minutes depending on how high the heat is set and how cold the ingredients were. Remove from heat and push through a fine mesh strainer. Fold in lemon zest, cover with plastic wrap and thoroughly chill before using.

To make the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, rub together the lemon zest and sugar with your fingers until the zest is evenly distributed and the sugar takes on a light yellow hue. Add butter and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with the milk - beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Evenly divide batter between 24 paper-lined muffin cups - they should be roughly half full.

Bake until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center and is just beginning to get a golden hue - about 16 to 20 minutes. Remove and place cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the meringue

In a large mixing bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Slowly add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue whipping until egg whites hold stiff peaks when beaters are lifted.

To assemble the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 400

Place cupcakes on a large baking sheet. Use a paring knife to cut out a small cone out of the center of each cupcake. Pipe about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the lemon curd into each cupcake. Spoon dollops of meringue over the curd on each cupcake. Bake until the tops of the meringues brown - about 4 to 6 minutes.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

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17 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh. I've never made meringue before but I might have to now

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  2. I have made these before, makes me want to make them again! They look awesome Joe as always!

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  3. Kayla - It is not as scary as it might seem... give it a go!

    Laurie - Thank you!

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  4. How do you make the peaks in the meringue?

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  5. Anon - Just make sure that the meringue is stiff, but not dry - all I used was an off-set spatula to lift the meringue up into peaks!

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  6. I would like to say that, while these cupcakes are time-consuming and work-intensive, they are the BEST CUPCAKES EVER. I bring baked goods to work often, and these have made the biggest splash. Months later people still ask after them. Nice one.

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  7. Amie - Fantastic! We really liked these too!

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  8. wow these cupcakes look amazing I might as well do them some day and let you know how the turn out. Im a lemon meringue pie lover and cupcake fan so these combine my 2 favorite things!

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  9. Anon - We hope you enjoy them!

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  10. I made these for a charity 'pie' auction for my friend, I sold a dozen for £36!!!! I kept the other 12 for me... they were so yummy, I will definitely make again.

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  11. Julie - That is great news! Thanks for giving them a try.

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  12. I am making these for my mom's birthday. The custard is cooling and cupcakes are baking. So far, so good..great actually! I am wondering about storage. Do they need to be refrigerated? Can I wait until tomorrow to fill and top them with meringue? Thanks for the recipe!

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  13. Sarah - I don't see a problem keeping the cupcakes themselves stored at room temperature (in an air-tight container!) and then filling them with the curd tomorrow!

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  14. I'm making these for the third time... how long will the lemon curd keep for if I don't use it all?

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  15. Julie - Maybe a week or so in the refrigerator? However, lemon curd freezes so well, I would opt for that.

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  16. I'm making these for a party, how far in advance do you think the merangue be OK for? Could I make them a few hours ahead?

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  17. JCD - Meringue needs to be used pretty much after you make it. If I would suggest anything, I would put it on the cupcakes, then wait until right before you serve them to brown the tops off. I've never tried this, though, so I can't be sure how well it would work.

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